


A Short Rest for the Weary

by oddbuki



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, Post-Calamity Ganon, also an intro to my loz works cuz lord knows i have a million, mainly just a self-indulgent practice piece lol, ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 01:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16985496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddbuki/pseuds/oddbuki
Summary: It's years past the fall of Calamity Ganon, long after the hero of time and the princess of Hyrule have led fulfilling lives and passed on. What remains of Hyrule still remember these legends, though, including an aging Rito and his ever-curious young student.





	A Short Rest for the Weary

“Once more, from the top.”

The elder’s instrument let out a gentle huff of air, as the accordion lay snugly in his lap. His feathers long since grayed, his beak dark and dry from his lengthy life, the young Hylian’s teacher preferred to sit for their practices nowadays. With slender fingers, she turned and pressed the knobs of her worn-out violin, tuning it back to normal after a long session of playing and re-tuning and marking notes and practicing. Her wish had been only to further her talent as much as possible, and his to pass on all his knowledge before he became too weak to do so, just as his own teacher had done for him. 

Raising her instrument to rest upon her shoulder, she quietly hummed the opening notes to the song she knew so well. Though the original lyrics had been lost to time, the tune was one she knew she could never quite shake from her head. His feathers ruffled ever slightly, and with a deep breath, he gave his accordion a gentle squeeze just as she picked the first few notes, to the song that most in Hyrule could feel inside their hearts. 

Whenever she played this particular piece, she swore that time seemed to pass a little slower. Their instruments seemed to come alive, and her vision felt clearer. She felt as though she were healing, slowly, and becoming even stronger as a result. It was an uplifting song, one that spoke to her very soul...and at the same time, she knew from her teacher’s lectures that it carried a story, as well. 

_“In time long forgotten to common memory, when the hero of time lived and breathed in several more lifetimes than could be counted, there existed a place that he could rest his weary body. A cavern, cool and protected, lit only by the shimmering glow of dozens of mythical fairies. The locations have changed just as Hyrule itself has, but legend says the spirits within carry the blessings of the three creator goddesses themselves.”_

For a fleeting moment, as she first heard that story, she wished to see such a place herself...and though she knew she likely never would be able to make the trek herself, just the thought of a place like that existing brought her comfort. The song eventually came to an end, and as she lowered her instrument, she allowed a relaxed sigh to pass from her lips.

“Teacher...I wonder who the hero of time will be reborn as. Surely, his coming would also mean the return of malice, but even still...I have to wonder. How would he know he’s the hero? How could you ever tell something like that, until the responsibility is thrust into your lap?”

Her violin laid on the floor of the open-walled hut, she turned to look out over the deep caverns below Rito Village, the birds trilling overhead as the clouds lazily passed through the clear blue of the sky. She had heard so many tales of heroes from her beloved tutor...a hero who commanded the winds of the sea, one who braved the evil of twilight, even one who could travel between worlds in order to save the home he treasured so dearly. With so much time dedicated to practice and study, she found enough opportunities to daydream about such wonderful tales…

“...I cannot say I know for certain. I don’t believe we could ever truly know what thoughts went through the hero of legend’s mind...perhaps we are not meant to know.”

That seemed to be a plausible enough explanation, befitting to a Rito so well-travelled and knowledgeable as her tutor. For the time being, the two of them set aside their instruments and took a few moments to simply watch the world outside go by. The wind swept a comfortingly cool air through the open room, and as she listened to the sounds of the village, she could swear she heard the notes of a song in the gentle breeze. Something soft, like a prelude for undiscovered adventure…

“...But that’s enough musings for today, young one. Let’s get back to practicing, shall we?”

With only a moment of hesitation, she gave a nod and picked up her violin once more--but still, she knew she would not shake off this intrigued sense of hers for a long, long time.


End file.
